The Body

There are so many things I'd like to say in this post. So much has changed in such a short period of time. However, I will attempt keep this short and sweet-- and I'll try to keep the rambling to a minimum...

The Body of Christ. Without realizing it, I think I always assumed that The Body of Christ was the group of people who went to my church. We were the Body and we were all supposed to work together. If you didn't go to my church, you were part of a separate Body.

However, even when I believed The Body was basically comprised of the people in my own church, I knew in my mind what a backwards way this was of thinking. The Body of Christ is not limited to one building, or one style of worship, or one pastor. We, collectively, are ALL the Body of Christ. (See I Cor. 12)

I know that this is not exactly earth-shattering information for most of you. However, in the experiences I've had over the last two weeks, I've really gotten to know this truth at a level I've never experienced it in the past.

I left my church home of the last five years last week. It was hard. It was one of the most painful experiences of my entire life. The thing that was toughest to communicate to all of the "but WHY's"was the fact that I didn't leave for a tangible "reason". There was nothing specific I could point to and say "this is why". More than anything, I just knew that the Lord wanted me somewhere else- and He wasn't going to stop prodding until I was obedient.

So now, the girl who thought that "The Body" was made up of the people who went to her church, is going to another church-- a very different church than the one she previously attended. I am loving every minute of it. I'm challenged in entirely new ways, and I am thinking about doing things I never thought I'd consider-- missions, full-time ministry, leaping forward into the unknown...

But, does this mean that I am part of a new Body? That switching churches means I have switched loyalties? No. You see, First Baptist is just as much part of The Body as NewSpring Church is. Someone who loves First Baptist probably wouldn't love how they do things at NewSpring. And that is such good news! First Baptist can continue ministering to those people who love their style and structure, and for those people who prefer something different-- there are places like NewSpring, Columbia Church, or any other church in Columbia! We aren't in competition. The Body is not the building we worship in, the group of people we worship with, or the way in which we worship on Sunday mornings. We are ALL The Body- and we all come with the same message, just in different packages... And rather than moving forward with the perspective that we are in competition with one another, how much better would it be if we went forward realizing that we are all working together for the same goal?

I'm pretty sure I know how Christ would feel about it. My favorite passage in the entire Bible is the section where he is in the Garden of Gethsemane, He's about to die on a cross, and He prays for us. Read it. John 17:6-26